Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) has hired Geraldine Quirk from Clyde & Co as a partner in its London insurance practice.

Quirk will focus on BLP's non-contentious insurance and financial services regulatory offerings.

She joins the insurance practice and will work with both the corporate and regulatory teams.

Her start date has not yet been confirmed. 

Quirk joined Clydes in 2004 from DLA Piper and was made up as partner in 2008.

Her practice covers UK and EU insurance regulation and she has advised clients including PricewaterhouseCoopers, R&Q, AXA and Enstar.

Head of insurance Jonathan Sacher said Quirk's appointment would diversify the firm's offering in the insurance field.

"Gerry is a market leader within the sector in a number of specialist areas, particularly insurance transfers, and her appointment will play a key role helping us broaden the scope of our capabilities in this field."

Clydes declined to comment on whether it had plans to replace Quirk, whose departure will leave the insurance and reinsurance team with seven partners in London; however the firm wished her well.

Earlier this year, BLP hired two US securities partners for its corporate finance practice in London including a director of Bank of America Merrill Lynch and a former Proskauer Rose capital markets partner.

The hire comes after Legal Week revealed this week that BLP is refocusing its corporate practice around supporting real estate and litigation clients, in a move that has been described as a "downgrade" of the practice by former partners following its past investment in a raft of heavyweight hires.

The firm's finance and tax practices are also understood to be prioritising work for real estate and litigation clients.

BLP has historically described its corporate, finance, tax, real estate and litigation practices as its "five pillars".